Current collector



Get. 28; 1924. 1,513,058

s. s. MATTHES CURRENT COLLECTOR Original Filed March 1, 1922 S/ MSL 5 flf/yrn/as.

Chrome! Patented Oct. 28, 1924.

- UNETEE @TA'E'ES FATEMT @FEICE.

SAMUEL S. MATTHES, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR- T0 THE OHIO BRASS COMPANY, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, A COBEOEATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CURRENT COLLECTOR.

Original application filed March 1, 1922, Serial No. 540,147. Divided and this application filed May 1, 1924. Serial No. 710,467.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. MATH-ins, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richmond and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cur-c rent Collectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric current collectors for moving vehicles and is particularly adapted to that class of vehicles known as a trolley-bus and which operates on the highway either directly below and in line with the overhead conductors or to either side thereof and in line with the conductors, and which is free to change this direction of operation toward or away from the overhead conductors at the will of the operator. Such operation of the trolleybus is also known as trackless trolley operation.

The object of my invention is to provide a device which will collect current from two overhead conductors of different polarity and permit the vehicle or trolley-bus to move about freely relative to the conductors within reach of the trolley pole and maintain contact with the conductors. To the attainment of this end and accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination of the parts and in the unique relation and disposition of the various parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my invention engaging the overhead conductors when the trolley-bus is operating to one side of the conductors.

Fig. 2 is a side view of my invention engaging the overhead conductors and in which the trolley-bus is operating below and in line with the conductors.

Fig. 3 is an end view of Figs. 1 and 2.

This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 540,147, filed March 1, 1922.

In my preferred form I employ a trolley pole or support 1 mounted upon the trolleybus in the usual manner well known in the art and to the upper end of the support is secured a member 2 provided with a clevis Mounted in the clevis is an insulating member 4 and secured to the clevis by the bolt and nut 5. To each end of the insulating member 4 is secured a current collecting element 6 and secured to the insulating ele ment by means of integrally formed yoke 7 and the bolt 8.

The member 2 is rigidly secured to the member 1, but the insulating member at is pivotally mounted in the yoke 3.

The current collecting members 6 comprises a horizontally disposed element 9 the upper surface of which forms a convex sur face 10 adapted to engage the conductors 111 1 respectively, and also having an upstanding flange 12, the outer surface 13 of which is of circular formation, all points of which in any single horizontal plane are equally distant from the pivoted point A. The surface 13 is preferably obliquely disposed in order that interference with the trolley clamps, ears, etc. used in supporting the trolley conductor may be avoided. v

The members 9 are so shaped that the distance B is less than the distance C which is preferable on account of the convex forma tion of the surface 10. It will be observed that if the pole 1 is caused to take an an gular formation to either side of the longitudinal direction with respect to the trolley conductor, that the flanges 18 will maintain the center A substantially midway between the conductors 11 and 11, and that since the exterior surface of the flange 13 is formed with equal radia in any single horizontal'plane about the point A that the trolley-bus to which the device is secured can readily swing from one side to the other from a direct line of operation below the trolley wire and without bringing any undue strain upon the conductors in tending .1

to throw them toward or away from each other. It is also necessary to meet conditions where the angularity of the support member 1 changes with respect to the con ductors due to variations in the height of the conductors above the ground. I meet this condition by having the surface 10 of a convex formation relative to the conductors as already pointed out above and this permits me to mount the insulating member 4: to the pole with only a single motion relative thereto; namely, the pivoting of the member 1 about the axis of the member 5 ill) which pivotal motion is necessary in order to allow for variations in height of one conductor relative to the other.

To the best of my knowledge all previous constructions of this class have employed the small so-called trolley-Wheel or sliding shoe of limited size engaging each conduc= tor, but these devices are very readily thrown from the conductors and I have attempted to overcome this difficulty by the construction herein set forth and beyond doubt many modifications Will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A current collecting device comprising a support member, a head adapted to swing in a substantially vertical plane, a pair of current collecting members supported by the head and means to insulate the collecting members from each other; each collecting member comprising a horizontally disposed flange, the upper surface being convex to a substantially horizontal plane and having an upstanding flange the outer surface being convex to a substantially vertical plane. 7

2. A current collecting device to engage a pair of parallel conductors comprising a support and a pair of collecting members pivotally mounted on the support to swing in a plane pierced by the axis of the support and insulated therefrom; each collecting member comprising a flange having a surface contacting with a conductor and convex thereto and a second flange projecting from the first flange and engaging the inner surface of a conductor to prevent lateral displacement of the collecting device; the engaging surface of the second flange being convex to the conductor.

3. A current collecting member to engage an overhead conductor comprising afiange having an arc shaped formation, a flange projecting from the convex face of the first flange and having a convex face, the convex facesof the two flanges forming an angle to receive the overhead conductor, and means to secure the collecting device to a support and in pivotal relation thereto in plane pierced by the axis of the support.

4. A current collecting device to engage a pair of conductors comprising a supporting pole, a transverse head mounted on the pole to pivot in a fixed plane pierced by the axis of the pole and a pair of current collecting members mounted on the head; each collecting member provided With means having a surface convex to and engaging a conductor and changing its point of engagement With a; change in the !vertical angle of the supporting pole, each collecting member also provided With means forming a segment of a circle to engage a conductor and prevent lateral displacement of the collecting device.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. I

SAMUEL S. MATTHES. 

